Even with the best horse dewormer, your equine parasite control program can become a waste of time and money. Let’s explore how to ensure this doesn’t happen to you!
The Most Effective Equine Parasite Control Happens When You Avoid the Fear and Misunderstanding Around Parasites
When it comes to equine parasite control, parasites are viewed not simply as a nuisance to tolerate, but as an enemy to fear and annihilate.
Many horse owners reach for chemical options like Ivermectin, Quest dewormer, or even Panacur Equine Guard; in hopes of completely eliminating ALL parasites within their horse’s body.
Regardless of the side effects and rising concern that parasites over time are becoming resistant to these chemicals. Avoiding this hype of parasites is crucial to you implementing a safe and effective equine parasite control program!
It’s not about finding the next best horse dewormer. Understand that parasites are nature’s “garbage men”… They are scavengers, drawn and attracted to hosts that have a desirable terrain and environment for them to live and thrive in or on.
If your horse has an abundance of parasites, it’s an alarm or signal that the homeostasis of their body. Or an indicator that the internal environment needs support and attention. Essentially, they have internal “garbage” or are a walking environment, that is welcoming and comfortable for the parasite to live.
There are safe and effective ways to ensure your horse’s environments both internal and external are balanced and in a state that reduces the risk of them becoming overwhelmed by parasites. This is part of the process of implementing a natural equine parasite control program.
The reality is, that combining the risks to health and the fact that parasites are becoming resistant to these deworming pastes at an alarming rate is evidence that toxic chemical warfare and fearing the parasites are not sustainable equine parasite control solutions.
Work Smarter Not Harder with Your Horse Dewormer
This was a mistake I made for many years… No one told me that I was going about equine deworming all wrong. So let me shed some light on a way to skyrocket the effectiveness of your equine parasite control program.
Pesky parasites are masters at tucking away and hiding within your horse’s body. They cling, attach, and invade. If you don’t plan out when to give your natural equine dewormer your efforts of detouring them will be diminished greatly! So what can you do?
Catch them off guard when their biological rhythm serves you. During a full moon, parasites are often more active. Increasing the efforts of your equine dewormer if administered at the proper time.
Something as simple as working with the lunar cycle and dramatically increasing the effectiveness of your equine parasite control program.
So how can you take advantage of the benefits of the lunar cycle? There are varying opinions on how to best work with the lunar cycle to most effectively boost your equine parasite control… What I have implemented for my personal herd and had clients also experience results with is beginning with a natural horse dewormer about a week after the New Moon and continuing feeding through the New Moon at least another week.
Customizing When and How You Use Horse Dewormer
Natural horse dewormer options can often be utilized as a maintenance plan or you can choose to utilize them only when you feel your horse is at increased risk of parasite imbalance. Fecal egg counts are a commonly used method to determine if your horse has a parasite overload.
According to PennState University, fecal egg counts provide a measure of the number of eggs being shed into the environment. A fecal egg count of zero does not necessarily mean that the horse is parasite-free. The horse may have larvae or adults that are not shedding eggs and still may harbor parasites.
Fecal egg counts from an individual horse will vary from sample to sample by as much as 50%. A horse with a FEC of 1,000 may actually be shedding 500 or 1,500 eggs per gram. Low shedders are those horses that are considered to be below the threshold for deworming.
Generally, between 100 to 500 eggs per gram; high shedders are generally over 1,000 EPG. Due to the restrictive and confined area our horses are kept in, manure control is imperative. Raise your awareness of the lifecycles of parasites that are a common concern in your area.
Performing fecal egg counts from the beginning to the middle of the month, it’s believed to provide the best results. This takes advantage of the breeding and egg-laying cycles that likely took place for the parasites around the Full Moon.
To explore natural equine parasite control further and to learn how to create a customizing parasite control program for your horse, join us inside the Horse Health Hub today! Inside Module 4 of our 30-Day Equine Health Transformation Course, we break down step by step how to reduce your horse’s risk of parasite overload and empower you to implement a safe, effective equine parasite control program.
I hope you found value in this sharing of simple and tangible tips on maximizing your equine parasite control program. Please share via your favorite social media page to help us on our mission to promote horse health and wellness. You will find share buttons at the bottom of the post.
Life is better when you’re horsin’ around!
